The most peaceful bomb: How the USSR stopped a disaster with a nuclear blast

After 1,074 days of a raging gas inferno, Soviet scientists detonated a 30-kiloton device underground – and extinguished it in seconds

By RT International

In 1949, the Soviet Union tested its first nuclear weapon. From that time, a new era began for the USSR and the wider world. For the next 40 years, the whole world looked on nervously, wondering whether the Russians and the Americans would start a nuclear war. Nuclear weapons became one of the decisive factors of global politics.

However, nuclear energy interested not only military generals and politicians who considered using nuclear weapons against their enemies. For modern Russia, nuclear power plants and nuclear-powered icebreakers became an important part of the economy. In the 1950s, the idea was developed even further. The USSR carried out 124 Peaceful Nuclear Explosions (PNEs). These were all underground explosions which helped scientists create water reservoirs, gain access to deep-lying mineral deposits, and create gas storage cavities. Such explosions were seen as a solution to many problems.

The most unusual use for a nuclear weapon, however, was to extinguish a powerful fire.

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Read Full Article Here…(rt.com)

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